The Keene Sentinel
http://www.keenesentinel.com
ELGIN, South Carolina - Edward Armand "Shorty" Forest, 92, died on Thursday, July 30, 2020, due to complications related to COVID-19.
Eddie was born on November 21, 1927, in Keene, the son of Yvonne and Arthur Forest. He left Keene High School to serve in the US Army from February 15, 1946 to March 24, 1947, later earning his GED in 1976. After the war he returned to Keene and married his sweetheart, Laurette Rita (Madore) Forest (1922-2006), to whom he was married for 57 years. Eddie and Laurette built a life and started a family in and around Keene, where he was an active participant in the town as the proprietor of the West Street Barbershop and eventual owner of the Howe Block. The two left Keene in 1982 for their "last great adventure," which would take them to St. Cloud, FL. Eddie worked at the St. Cloud Power Plant until he was 67, followed by 25 years of retirement. He and Laurette loved the climate in Central Florida, made many friends in their community, and enjoyed visiting their daughters and grandchildren as often as they could. Eddie spent his younger retirement years relaxing with his beloved wife, building furniture in his workshop, and volunteering in the ice cream parlor at Give Kids The World, an 84-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. For the final 9 years of his life Eddie lived in a memory care facility very close to one of his daughters in the Columbia, SC, area.
In addition to his parents, Eddie was predeceased by his loving wife and his five brothers: Paul, Rene, George, Charlie & Bernard. He is survived by his daughter, Suzanne, and her husband, Robert Jones, of Columbia SC; their son, Jeremy, and his wife, Kayla, of Lowell, NC; another daughter, Lynne, and her husband, Gregory Edson, of Fryeburg ME; and their son, Forest, of Cambridge, MA. He is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Lorna and Ruth (Forest); one brother-in-law, Normand Madore; many nieces/nephews and too many friends to mention.
Eddie will be reunited with his late wife at the United States National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. No services will be held at this time.
In lieu of monetary donations, the family asks that you make it a priority to exercise your civic duty to vote in any upcoming national and local elections, and that you help a loved one to do so if you are able. Eddie and Laurette worked the polls for many years, and felt that it was extremely important that everyone vote if able. Those who wish to make a financial contribution in his memory may also donate to Give Kids The World, Kissimmee, FL (gktw.org).
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